Telephone lock

ABSTRACT

A telephone lock for a French-style telephone, made of a single piece of flat metal stock having a main portion overlying the shelf of the telephone base which is between the lugs which cradle the handset, the main portion having ears extending between the lugs to hold down the telephone switch buttons, the main portion extending rearwardly of the shelf and having a cylinder lock mounted in it rearwardly of the shelf, the cylinder lock having a locking tongue which is in a plane closely beneath the shelf in its locking position. A front tab portion extends downwardly from the front of the main portion, close to or engaging the telephone base, and a rear tab portion extends downwardly from the main portion, substantially covering the recess below the shelf, and having laterally extending ears which engage the telephone base rear face. All of the ears are provided on their bottom surfaces with resilient pads.

[ 1 Mar. 27, 1973 [54] TELEPHONE LOCK [76] Inventor: Gilbert Edelcreek, 98 Fieldstone Dr., Springfield, NJ. 07.081

221 Filed: Mar. 23, 1972 21] Appl. No.2 237,270

Primary Examiner-Thomas W. Brown AttorneyCharles 1'1. Recht [5 7] ABSTRACT A telephone lock for a French-style telephone, made of a single piece of flat metal stock having a main portion overlying the shelf of the telephone base which is between the lugs which cradle the handset, the main portion having ears extending between the lugs to hold down the telephone switch buttons, the main portion extending rearwardly of the shelf and having a cylinder lock mounted in it rearwardly of the shelf, the cylinder lock having a locking tongue which is in a plane closely beneath the shelf in its locking position. A front tab portion extends downwardly from the front of the main portion, close to or engaging the telephone base, and a rear tab portion extends downwardly from the main portion, substantially covering the recess below the shelf, and having laterally extending ears which engage the telephone base rear face. All of the ears are provided on their bottom surfaces with resilient pads.

1 1 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures The present invention relates to a telephone lock in the form of an attachment for a conventional Frenchstyle telephone which prevents its unauthorized use.

It has long been known that many telephone instruments are necessarily placed in locations where they are accessible to strangers and other persons who are prone to using them, often placing expensive calls, for which they do not pay. Consequently, there have been many suggestions for constructions of lock devices which may be attached to telephones to prevent such unauthorized use. These lock devices have frequently included a structure, usually of metal, together with a conventional cylinder lock, the structure and the lock together cooperating, when in the locked condition to either prevent the removal of the earpiece or receiver, or in French-style telephone instruments, the entire handset, or have prevented movement of the hanger or switch button, the latter in the case of the noted French-style telephones.

One suggested construction has included a plurality of shaped metal plates, one of which has had mounted in it a lock cylinder, and these plates were assembled in position on a French-style telephone. Such an organization is somewhat more expensive to manufacture than is desirable, and also is somewhat unwieldy because of the fact that it is made in plural parts.

Another construction known in the prior art was provided for a French-style telephone, and included a body portion which was placed in position above the shelf of the telephone base, which shelf defined the upper portion of a finger-receiving recess provided at the upper rear portion of the telephone base for convenience in lifting and moving the telephone base. This body portion had lateral flanges which extended over the button-switches located between the upstanding lugs that formed the cradle for the hand set of the telephone, thereby holding down these button switches when the device was in locked condition. Depending from the rear of the horizontal body portion was a vertical mounting flange which was provided with an aperture in which was mounted the cylinder of a conventional cylinder-lock. At its inner end, in the fingerreceiving recess, the cylinder-lock was provided with a radially extending locking tongue, which moved in a vertical plane into a locking position behind a depending rib depending from the rear edge of the shelf. This construction has been found to be deficient in a number of respects. One deficiency is that this proposed telephone lock construction could not be used with a telephone base that did not have a depending rib on the shelf. Another deficiency of this construction was that lifting the device from the rear, as by the bottom of the vertical flange, would permit the locking tongue to be disengaged from the depending rib, and the device thereby removed, while still in locked position. Still another deficiency of this noted construction was that it was not able to be placed securely on all of the different models and embodiments of French-style telephones which are in use: in fact, it has been experienced that with this particular construction, when applied to some models of telephones, it was possible to remove the telephone lock device when in locked position by virtue of the fact that it fit too loosely to hold securely. Still another defect with the noted construction was it could be bent with relative ease, to thereby free the locking tongue from the depending rib, even when a tilting action would not accomplish this. Still further, the cylinder of this device was positioned so that it extended rearwardly of the vertical flange in which it was mounted, so that it was capable of serving as a lever which could be readily grasped, the purposes of manipulating the device, or bending it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a telephone lock for locking against unauthorized use a French-style telephone. This lock is made of a single piece of flat metal stock of substantial thickness, having a main portion of generally rectangular configuration and of a width to extend substantially between the upstanding lugs which provide the cradle structure of the telephone base, this main portion front edge being rearwardly of the front of the front lugs, the rear of the main portion extending rearwardly of the rear edge of the shelf which lies between the cradle-forming lugs, and which itself forms the upper portion of the fingerreceiving recess of the telephone .base. This main portion is provided with a pair of laterally extending cars which extend between the lugs, and which thereby serve to hold down the switch buttons of the telephone when the device is in locked condition; these ears have upwardly inclined tabs at their fronts. Rearwardly of the rear edge of the shelf, the main portion has a cylinder lock, mounted in an aperture therein, with the body of the cylinder lock extending below the main portion, the cylinder lock being mounted substantially flush with the upper surface of the main portion. The cylinder lock is provided with a radially extending locking tongue, which may be swung into locking position closely beneath the shelf, and directed generally forwardly. Extending from the front of the main portion is a front tab portion which is generally downwardly inclined, so as to be adjacent to the upper surface of the telephone base shelf face, this tab portion cooperating with the locking tongue to prevent tilting of the telephone lock so as to release the switch buttons. From the rear of the main portion there depends a rear tab portion which is ofsuch length that it will substantially cover the opening of the finger-receiving recess of the telephone base, and this rear tab portion is also provided with a pair of laterally extending ears which engage with the rear face of the telephone base. All of the ears are provided on their under sides with resilient pads, such as of foam rubber or the like, which pads will engage with the parts of the telephone base with which they are adjacent.

Among the objects of the present invention is to provide a telephone lock of extremely simple and economical construction, being made of but a single piece of stock material, and a readily available lock cylinder.

Yet another object of thepresent invention is to provide a telephone lock which does not depend for its locking effectiveness upon a depending rib at the rear edge of the telephone base shelf.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a telephone lock which will be secure against being removed or moved to an ineffective position by manipulation thereof.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of a telephone lock which is capable of securely fitting a great many different models of French-style telephones.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a telephone lock which will not be readily bent so as to have the parts moved to an ineffective position.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the present invention will be readily understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a plan view of a telephone lock in ac cordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the telephone lock shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the telephone lock of the. present invention applied to a French-style telephone base.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the telephone base and telephone lock shown in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, wherein like or corresponding reference numerals are used to designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. 1 a telephone lock generally designated 10, the telephone lock being made of a single and integral body of flat stock material, preferably sheet metal. This body includes a main portion 12, which may be seen to be of generally rectangular configuration, but is provided with a pair of laterally extending ears l4 and 16. The ears l4 and 16 extend intermediate the length of the main portion 12, and have tabs and 17, respectively, at their forward portions, which are upwardly inclined. Rearwardly of the ears 14 and 16 the main portion 12 is provided with an aperture in which is mounted a lock cylinder generally designated 40. As may be seen in FIG. 2, at the front of the main portion 12, or to the left as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, there is an integral, generally downwardly inclined front pad portion 18, and at the rear of main portion 12 there is a rear tab portion 20 which depends from the main portion 12, as shown.

On the under side of the ears l4 and 16 there are provided resilient pads 14a and 16a, respectively, and these pads are preferably made of a material such as foam rubber, or the like. Also provided are laterally extending ears 22 and 24 adjacent the lower extermity of the rear tab portion 20, and the ear 22 is provided with a resilientpad 22a, the ear 24 being provided with a pad 24a. As willbe understood, all of the resilient pads are preferably of the same ,material, and are conveniently secured to the metal body by suitable adhesive.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, there is shown a conventional telephone base 50 of a French-style telephone. As will be understood, the illustrations in I FIGS. 3 and 4 are of a conventional telephone base of this type, there being in practice a number of specific models each having their own dimensions, tolerances, angles and the like. The telephone lock l0 of the present invention is shown installed on the telephone base 50, in FIG. 3 being in the locked position, while in FIG. 4 it is in the unlocked position.

The telephone base 50 has a dial 52 as shown, but as will be understood, the telephone 50 could equally well be of the push button type. Adjacent dial 52 is a face 54, which is herein referred to as thedial face, although a similar inclined face is provided on a push button style telephone. On its top, the telephone base 50 is provided with upstanding lugs which form a cradle for the conventional hand-set (not shown). There are two front lugs 56 and 58, which are spaced apart as shown in FIG. 4, and behind them are two rear lugs 60 and 62. As is conventional, between at least one pair of front and rear lugs, and usually between both pairs of front and rear lugs, there is provided a switch button which is spring urged upwardly, and which when raised permits operation and use of the telephone. One such push button switch is indicated in dotted lines, and designated by the numeral 64.

A shelf 66 extends between the lugs, and forms the upper boundary of finger-receiving recess 70, having a rearwardly facing opening provided in the rear face 72 of the telephone base 50.

Referring now to FIG. 4, it will be seen that the main portion 12 has a width which is just slightly less than the distance between the lugs 56 and 60 on the one hand, and 58 and 62 on the other hand, to thereby provide a snug fit. The ears l4 and 16 with their tabs 15 and 17 fit, respectively, between the lugs, and are dimensioned to provide a snug fit therein, the width of the ears and tabs in the front-to-rear direction being slightly less than the space between the front and rear lugs. The pads 14a and 16a on the under side of the ears 14 and 16 engage the button switches, hereinabove referred to.

As may be seen from FIG. 3, the front tab portion 18 depends downwardly, and is in near juxtaposition or contact with a portion of the noted shelf 66 of the telephone base 50. The main portion 12 will be seen in FIG. 4 to have its front at the rear of the front lugs 56 and 58, and extends rearwardly beyond the edge of shelf 66, which rear edge is designated 68.

The lock cylinder 40 is mounted in an aperture in the rearmost portion of main portion 12, and is provided with a radially extending tongue 42 .which lies in a horizontal plane closely beneath the shelf 66, when in the locked position shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the lock cylinder 40 has an axial length about equal to the vertical distance between the bottom of the cradle for the hand set and the bottom of the shelf, and the locking element 42 has a length which enables it to extend beneath the shelf 66 when rotated to the locked position, shown in FIG. 3.

From the rear of main portion 12, the rear tab portion 20 may be seen to extend, with the ears 22 and 24 in engagement with the rear face 72 of the telephone base 50. The rear tab portion 20 is of such length that it substantially covers the opening to the finger-receiving recess 70, and thereby prevents access to the under side of the telephone lock 10, and particularly to the locking tongue 42.

In use, the telephone lock 10 may be placed on a telephone base, as shown in FIG. 4, with the main portion 12 overlying the shelf 66, and with the ears l4 and 16 in positionbetween the upstanding lugs 56, 60 and 58, 62. The telephone button switch will be held in the depressed position, and the ears 22 and 24 will have their resilient pads in engagement with the rear face 72 of the telephone base 50. The front tap portion 18 will closely overlie the front of shelf 66. The key will then be inserted into the key-hole of the cylinder lock 40, and rotate it so as to bring the locking element 42 into the recess 70, underlying the shelf 66. in this position, it will be substantially impossible for the telephone lock to either be manipulated into a position in which one or another of the switch buttons can be raised, and it will also be substantially impossible for the telephone lock to be grasped so that it may be bent and distorted. It will be observed that rear tab portion substantially closes the entrance to the finger-receiving recess 70. The resilient pads provided on the four ears will provide accommodation for different models of telephone bases having somewhat different dimensions, although of generally the same appearance and organization. The front tab portion 18 would engage the shelf 66, if it were attempted to tilt the telephone lock 10 from the rear, thereby preventing its tilting. Tilting of the telephone lock 10 is also resisted by engagement of the ear tabs 15 and 17 with the lugs 56 and 58. In addition, the locking tongue 42 does not require a depending lip on the shelf 66, substantially cooperating with a large undersurface of the shelf 66 to provide locking action.

' In view of the above, it will readily be seen that there has been provided a telephone lock which is a simple and extremely economical construction, and which does not require that it be used on a telephone having a depending rib on the noted shelf. The present invention telephone lock is secure against being manipulated to free the button switches, and is so configured that it may not readily bedistorted. Still further, the present invention telephone lock is capable of fitting a large number of different telephone base models and configurations.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changesmay be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and therefore the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification but only as indicated in the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. A telephone lock for a French-type telephone including a base provided with a pair of spaced apart upstanding front lugs and a pair of spaced apart upstanding rear lugs rearwardly of said front lugs and providing a cradle for a handset, a switch button between at least one set of front and rear lugs, the base having a shelf extending between said front lugs and having a rear terminal edge rearwardly ofsaid front lugs, a recess in said base beneath said shelf, said lock comprising:

a single integral body of flat stock material, said body including a main portion overlying said shelf and extending from between the front lugs rearwardly of the rear edge of said shelf, said portion having a width slightly less than the space between said front and rear lugs, a pair of integral and substantially coplanar ears extending laterally from said portion with each of said ears extending between a said front and rear lug1and overlying a said switch button, said portion aving an aperture therein rearwardly of a vertical plane passing through said shelf rear edge, and

a lock cylinder mounted on said main portion in said aperture and having a surface with a key receiving opening substantially flush with the upper surface of said portion, said lock cylinder having a radially extending locking tongue and having an axial length sufficient to position said locking tongue in a plane immediately beneath the lower surface of said shelf, said locking tongue having a length sufficient to enable a portion thereof to extend beneath said shelf when rotated from a release position rearwardly of said shelf to a lock position beneath said shelf.

2. The telephone lock of claim 1, and an integral front portion at the front of said main portion and inclined downwardly from said main portion into substantial engagement with said shelf. I

3. The telephone lock of claim 2, and an integral rear tab portion at the rear of said main portion and extend-- ing downwardly from said main portion a distance at least substantially equal to the height of said recess, said telephone base having a rear face, and said rear tab portion comprising means for engaging said rear face when said locking tongue is in said locking position.

4. The telephone lock of claim 3, wherein said means comprises laterally extending ears.

5. The telephone lock of claim 4, and resilient pads secured to said ears of said rear tab portion for engaging said rear face.

6. The telephone lock of claim.5, and resilient pads secured to the ears of said main portion for engaging said base between said front and rear lugs.

7. The telephone lock of claim 1, and an integral rear tab portion at the rear of said main portion and extending downwardly from said main portion a distance at least substantially equal to the height of said recess, said telephone base having a rear face, and said rear tab portion comprising means for engaging said rear face when said locking tongue is in said locking position.

8. The telephone lock of claim 7, wherein said means comprises laterally extending ears.

9. The telephone lock-of claim 8, and resilient pads secured to said ears of said rear tab portion for engaging in said rear face.

10. The telephone lock of claim 1, and resilient pads secured to the ears of said main portion for engaging said base between said front and rear lugs.

11. The telephone lock of claim .1, said ears at their forward portions each comprising an upwardly inclined tab. 

1. A telephone lock for a French-type telephone including a base provided with a pair of spaced apart upstanding front lugs and a pair of spaced apart upstanding rear lugs rearwardly of said front lugs and providing a cradle for a handset, a switch button between at least one set of front and rear lugs, the base having a shelf extending between said front lugs and having a rear terminal edge rearwardly of said front lugs, a recess in said base beneath said shelf, said lock comprising: a single integral body of flat stock material, said body including a main portion overlying said shelf and extending from between the front lugs rearwardly of the rear edge of said shelf, said portion having a width slightly less than the space between said front and rear lugs, a pair of integral and substantially coplanar ears extending laterally from said portion with each of said ears extending between a said front and rear lug and overlying a said switch button, said portion having an aperture therein rearwardly of a vertical plane passing through said shelf rear edge, and a lock cylinder mounted on said main portion in said aperture and having a surface with a key receiving opening substantially flush with the upper surface of said portion, said lock cylinder having a radially extending locking tongue and having an axial length sufficient to position said locking tongue in a plane immediately beneath the lower surface of said shelf, said locking tongue having a length sufficient to enable a portion thereof to extend beneath said shelf when rotated from a release position rearwardly of said shelf to a lock position beneath said shelf.
 2. The telephone lock of claim 1, and an integral front portion at the front of said main portion and inclined downwardly from said main portion into substantial engagement with said shelf.
 3. The telephone lock of claim 2, and an integral rear tab portion at the rear of said main portion and extending downwardly from said main portion a distance at least substantially equal to the height of said recess, said telephone base having a rear face, and said rear tab portion comprising means for engaging said rear face when said locking tongue is in said locking position.
 4. The telephone lock of claim 3, wherein said means comprises laterally extending ears.
 5. The telephone lock of claim 4, and resilient pads secured to said ears of said rear tab portion for engaging said rear face.
 6. The telephone lock of claim 5, and resilient pads secured to the ears of said main portion for engaging said base between said front and rear lugs.
 7. The telephone lock of claim 1, and an integral rear tab portion at the rear of said main portion and extending downwardly from said main portion a distance at least substantially equal to the height of said recess, said telephone base having a rear face, and said rear tab portion comprising means for engaging said rear face when said locking tongue is in said locking position.
 8. The telephone lock of claim 7, wherein said means comprises laterally extending ears.
 9. The telephone lock of claim 8, and resilient pads secUred to said ears of said rear tab portion for engaging in said rear face.
 10. The telephone lock of claim 1, and resilient pads secured to the ears of said main portion for engaging said base between said front and rear lugs.
 11. The telephone lock of claim 1, said ears at their forward portions each comprising an upwardly inclined tab. 